Pleasure-railway.



No. 895,427. V TATENTED AUG. 11, 1908. P. A. CHURCH.

PLEASURE RAILWAY. Arr'monmx nun me. 21, 1901.

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vwautoz PATENT ED AUG. 11, 1908. P. A. CHURCH. PLEASURE RAILWAY.APPLICATION rum 1320.27, 1907.

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No; 595,427. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.-

' PLEASURE RAILWAY.

APPLICATION TILED D30. 27, 1907.

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. gnpculoz Wihuaxo I l DZ 0 o v a W m flkouuqg FREDERICK A. CHURCH, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PLEASURE-RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed December 27, 1907. Serial No. 408,217.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. Cmmon', citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure Railways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pleasure railways, and has for its object toprovide a track of novel construction on which the cars travel, and alsoto provide improved means for applying power to the cars while they arepass- 111;; over this new form of track, and for raising the cans to ahigher level as they pass over the track.

The invention embodies the idea of propelling cars on a track of suchform as to give the cars an accelerating motion, startingfrom a slowspeed and traveling around a spiral, and with a ropelling device havingthe same angular vc ocity about the center of the structure, causing thecars to gradually increase their velocity as they pass from the centerto the outside of the spiral, the cars finally leaving the structure ata tangent with great velocity which is expended on the remainder of thecircuit over which the cars ass.

The invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the i railway.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thepropelling mechanism which actual es the cars while they are on thespiral.

Referring specifically to the'drawings, 6 indicates an inverted cone orcup-shaped structure on which is laid a track 7 which approximates aspir l with the entrance at the center and the (nit at the top andoutside. The tracks are tilted to various degrees to overcome thecentrifugal force of the cars created by the revolving movement. At thetop the track 7 connects to a track 8 extending tangentially from theedge of the cone and forming part of a system of tracks which may be theordinary pleasure railway, a return bend, however, being provided tobring the cars back to the bottom of the conical structure.

The cars are propelled while on the conical structure by means of themechanism shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. This compriscsa-motor Awhich may be located in any convenient position outside or underneaththe structure and which imparts its power by means of a wire cable aover the idle pulleys B to a wheel C, causing said wheel to turn at auniform speed. This wheel C has an uprightaxle c which is of such heightand position that the wheel is located a suflicicnt distance above thetracks 7 to accommodate the cars under the wheel. The axle is stepped inmasonry X at the bottom and is braced at the top by guy rods Y extendingto posts Z and connected to a hearing atthe top of the axle. The wheelcarries two pusher arms D which are located under the wheel and extendfrom the axle radially to the edge of the structure. The arms D are setat an inclination corresponding to the tracks and at the pro er distanceabove the same to contact wit a car or cars on the track and push thesame along the track. The axle also carries, near the bottom, a beveledgear E which meshes with a inion F on the shaft G which carries a sproc'et wheel H which drives a chain haul h such as is commonly used inhauling cars, having well known attachments-to engage the car, asindicated at L. These attachments are so spaced that every time onepasses over the wheel H one oi the arms D carried on the wheel C passesthat point at the same moment.

The cars are loaded at the point marked loading platform and may bepushed by hand onto the chain haul or drag it where they are icked upand carried into the center of tlie conical structure. When the sprocketH is reached the chain is dropped and they are picked up by the pusherarms D without any perce tible jolt, owing to the fact that the attacnnents on the chain are timed with the oint on the arm which engages thecar. ach car, when 1picked up by the arm D roceeds to run wit 1 anaccelerated speed us to the spiral form of the track, the angularvelocity of the arms D remaining the same. 'hen the top of the structureis reached the car leaves it tangentially on the track 8 and finallyreturns to the unloadin and loading platforms. The speed acquire will besufficient to cause the car to travel around the adjacent courses ortracks which may assume any form desired.

i l 1 I l track can be constructed on a flat su'rfaceor on a structureof different shape. Also, 1nstead of the propelling means shown, othermeans may be used, such as individual motors for each car;

Various other modifications may be made within the scope of thefollowing claims.

1' claim:

1. A railway track having a spiral course, and means movable over saidcourse to advance cars around the same, from the center outwardly, withaccelerating speed.

2. X railway track having a spiral course and an entrance track leadingupwardly from below, near the center, a central shaft having a revolvingarm movable over the spiral course, and hauling devices associated withthe entrance track to advance cars up the same and onto the spiral.

3. A railway having in combination, a track with a spiral course and anentrance track leading thereto upwardly near the center, a central shafthaving a revolving arm movable over the spiral course, and engageablewith a car to advance the same thereon, and hauling devices geared tothe shaft and associated with the entrance track and hav ing attachingdevices for cars, to advance cars u the same and onto the spiral, thearm being ocated and'timed with respect to the attaching devices, toengage a car on the spiral immediately upon its delivery thereto by thehauling devices.

4.- The combination of a curved structure inclined upwardly andoutwardly from the center, a track extending in a spiral course uponsaid structure and havin an entrance at the center and an exit at theperiphery, and means to move cars around said track.

5. The combination of a spiral track the courses of which are arrangedone above the other in the form of an inverted cone, with an entrance atthe center and an exit at the periphery, an upright shaft at the center,and an arm projectin from the shaft outwardly above the severa coursesof the track, and adapted to engage and advance a car thereon, as theshaft is rotated.

6. The combination of a spiral track the courses of which inclineupwardly and outwardly from the center, with an entrance at the centerand an exit at the periphery, an

upright shaft at the center, a wheel at the top of the shaft, armssupported by the wheel and shafts and projecting radially from the shaftand under the wheel, and located in inclined position over the coursesof the track to engage and advance cars thereon, and driving devicesapplied to the wheel.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK A. CHURC Witnesses:

NELLIE FEL'rsKoG, H. G. BATCHELOR.

